Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Local Government: Voluntary Work

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to help ensure that volunteer capacity is available to support councils when needed.

Nigel Huddleston: Local authorities work closely with the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector and other organisations, including the public sector and the NHS, to recruit and coordinate volunteers at a local level. The Government aims to empower these local partnerships and ensure national efforts to encourage volunteering complement locally-led responses. Where there is urgent need for intervention from the Government, we work closely with the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership (VCSEP). The VCSEP is a collection of voluntary and community sector organisations, and is co-chaired by the British Red Cross and National Association for Voluntary and Community Action. The Partnership aims to help communities prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. They do this by coordinating and directly providing support to those in need, including mobilising volunteers if the need arises.

Travel: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of providing further financial support to the travel sector.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises within the travel sector.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will make provisions to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the travel sector beyond 30 September 2021 when the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ends.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government has provided over £35 billion in support to the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors over the course of the pandemic and is committed to supporting the safe return of tourism to the UK, as set out in the Government's Tourism Recovery Plan published in June. Businesses across the economy, including the travel industry, can draw on over £350 billion worth of loans, rates relief, VAT deferrals and the furlough scheme, the latter of which ended on 30 September. The Government continues to take a flexible approach and keep all impacts and policies under review.The Government is regularly engaging with travel industry bodies - such as UKInbound, the European Tour Operators Association and the Association of British Travel Agents - to monitor the pandemic’s impact and to support the sector’s recovery.

Department of Health and Social Care

Heart Diseases: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the additional resources required to tackle the backlog of heart disease diagnoses and treatment in Havering.

Edward Argar: No formal assessment has been made.However, an additional £1 billion this year and £8 billion over the next three years has been announced to tackle elective backlogs and recover services across England, including heart disease diagnosis and treatment in Havering.

NHS: Equality

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are employed in the NHS as diversity managers or coordinators.

Edward Argar: This information is not held centrally.

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency: Redundancy

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with executive officers at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regarding the proposed redundancies at that agency.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of staffing levels at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to carry out its day-to-day functions.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with staff representatives at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on proposed redundancies at that agency; and if he will undertake an equality impact assessment relating to those proposed redundancies.

Edward Argar: Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to discuss a range of issues, including its transformation plans to become a more dynamic and efficient organisation. The Department has not made a specific assessment of the MHRA’s staffing levels.The MHRA is carrying out a series of equality and diversity impact assessments throughout the transformation continues to engage with trade unions and employees through a formal consultation as well as continuing opportunities for engagement with senior leaders.

Dementia: Research

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2021 to Question 43598 on Dementia: Research, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of doubling funding for dementia in the upcoming Spending Review.

Edward Argar: There have been no specific discussions.

Social Services: Vacancies

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle labour shortages in the social care sector.

Gillian Keegan: A national recruitment campaign for adult social care will be launched in the autumn. We are also providing free and fast-track disclosure and barring service checks for staff recruited in response to the pandemic and promoting of adult social care careers in Job Centres.We will invest at least £500 million across three years in social care workforce professionalisation and development, wellbeing and mental health support, which will support retention of staff in the sector. We continue to work closely with the sector to understand how we can further support recruitment and retention.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Medical Treatments

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NICE on the timeline for the publication of clinical guidelines on myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to people with myalgic encephomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome pending the publication of updated clinical guidelines for that condition.

Edward Argar: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for developing its guidelines in line with its established methods and processes. NICE the Department regarding its publication of an updated guideline on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). NICE now plans to host a roundtable event in October to determine how it can gain support for the guideline to ensure effective implementation.Services for CFS/ME are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups to plan the provision of services subject to local prioritisation and funding. NICE’s existing guideline on CFS/ME provides guidance on diagnosing and managing the condition. Health and care professionals should continue to take this into account until the updated guideline is published.

Department for Work and Pensions

Health and Social Care Levy

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the impact of the Health and Social Care Levy on working people claiming (a) universal credit, (b) working tax credit or (c) other benefits.

David Rutley: From April 2022 a National Insurance increase of 1.25 percentage points would only impact on earnings above around £800 a month. The lowest earners would not be affected. Universal Credit and, where appropriate other benefits, normally take account of net earnings in determining the amount of benefit. A change in National Insurance contributions paid will impact net earnings and therefore the calculation of benefit entitlement. Tax Credits entitlement is calculated using gross earnings, the Health and Social Care Levy will not therefore affect the level of support paid to Working Tax Credit customers.

Universal Credit

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations she has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on increasing the amount of money local authorities pay out in financial assistance schemes to people who will stop receiving the £20 a week uplift to universal credit.

David Rutley: Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions engage regularly with their Ministerial counterparts in other Departments, taking a collective approach to the policies and interventions that can make a difference.Responsibility for Local Welfare Assistance was delegated to Local Authorities in England in 2013/2014 and councils have powers to determine the right Local Welfare Assistance schemes for their area. The funding councils receive from Government recognises the resources councils need to meet their pressures.The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work.Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; we have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job; and introduced Restart which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year. Our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.

Asylum: Afghanistan

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that people who arrived in the UK under the Afghan (a) Relocation and Assistance Policy and (b) Citizens Resettlement Scheme are not required to meet the habitual residence test.

David Rutley: All those brought to the UK under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) have the right to work, access to education and healthcare and recourse to public funds including benefit support. The Department for Work and Pensions has legislated to exempt those arriving in the UK under the ARAP and ACRS from the habitual residence test for income-related benefits, and the past presence test and the habitual residence test for disability and carer benefits.https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/1034/made Further information can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/support-for-those-arriving-from-afghanistan

Refugees: Afghanistan

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assistance the Government is providing to newly arrived Afghan nationals seeking to enter employment.

David Rutley: Those coming from Afghanistan to the UK on the resettlement programmes will have the right to work here from day one, as well as immediate access to the benefit system and our existing employment offer, including our £30 billion Plan for Jobs. Direct, personalised support is available from experienced work coaches in the temporary hotel accommodation where Afghans are staying across the country. Work coaches are there to help with any claims or queries and to provide tailored employment support. Resettling Afghans will also have access to our Refugee Leads Network, which links Jobcentres and organisations working with refugees and those on resettlement programmes, to help them integrate and find employment in local areas. We will also work to ensure that English as a Second or Other Language provision, and other support, is available to those that need it.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department plans to stop the universal credit and legacy benefit claims of individuals who qualify for EU Settled Status but have not yet applied for that scheme.

Chloe Smith: The Government has made clear its commitment to safeguard the rights of EEA nationals, and their family members, living in the UK prior to the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. They have done this though the introduction of the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). The scheme opened to the public on 30 March 2019 and the deadline for the scheme for those resident in the UK by the end of the transition period was 30 June 2021. Every day thousands of people are being given status through the EUSS and to date the Home Office have received more than 6 million applications. There is scope to make a late application based on reasonable grounds for missing the deadline. The Home Office have also released guidance for late applications and reiterated their general approach under the EUSS which is to look to grant status, rather than looking for reasons to refuse. Those covered by the Withdrawal Agreement who submit a late application to the EUSS will also be able to access benefits and services, if they are eligible, from the point their application is validated, and identity has been verified. From 1 July 2021, the Department has continued to work in collaboration with the HO and HMRC to undertake further engagement activities and give those without status further opportunity to apply to the EUSS. Claimants that fail to make a late application will not have entitlement to benefits unless, and until, they apply. The Department is however taking all reasonable steps to engage claimants and provide them with multiple opportunities to apply before taking compliance action. This includes engaging with relevant customers through scheduled face to face and telephony contact, and Universal Credit (UC) journal prompts. The Department’s visiting service is also available for those customers who are identified as the most vulnerable.

Social Security Benefits: Standard of Living

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of (a) trends in the cost of living and (b) the impact that those trends are  having on standards of living of people claiming social security support.

David Rutley: No assessment has been made. The Secretary of State completes an annual review of most benefit rates for people below State Pension age to determine whether they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices. Where prices have increased relative to the value of those benefits, the Secretary of State will increase certain disability and carers’ benefits – such as Personal Independence Payments and Carer’s Allowance – at least in line with that increase. She may also decide to increase other benefits, such as Universal Credit. That decision is discretionary, but it is conventional that these rates are also increased in line with the increase in prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index. The up-rating review is conducted in the Autumn of each year, with the outcome announced in November and the new rates implemented the following April. The Universal Credit £20 uplift was a temporary measure set out in legislation separate to up-rating. The temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.